


That Emblem is Fire

by DivineNoodles



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken | Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword
Genre: F/M, One Shot Collection, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-12-21 06:48:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21070658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DivineNoodles/pseuds/DivineNoodles
Summary: A collection of short FE one shots covering characters and relationships from throughout the series. Updates irregularly.Latest: Lyn takes Hector to the land where she grew up.





	That Emblem is Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lyn takes Hector to the land where she grew up.

Hector was never good with horses.

It wasn’t as if the animals frightened him - he’d cut down hordes of charging cavaliers in his lifetime without so much as flinching - but when it came to riding them, his personality never complemented the skill well. He was too impatient, too rough on the reins; the mounts he rode would always shudder and snort about before inevitably buckling him to the dirt. The blasted steeds just never listened to him.

Which is why he was so taken with Lyn’s handling of the mare they were riding upon.

Her movements were subdued, relaxed. Controlling the horse purely with short stirrups, freeing her hands to stroke its neck or reach out to the wind. Letting it dictate its own gait, not resisting when it sped to a canter or slowed to a trot. He’d often heard that a skilled equestrian controlled a horse like it was an extension of their own body, but only now was he witnessing it firsthand.

“You… ride well,” he said stiffly.

Lyn tilted her head behind her and smirked. “Better than you, certainly.”

Hector groaned. “Of all the competitions that Eliwood and I met in, horseback riding was the one where I always faltered.”

“So mighty Hector has his weaknesses after all.”

“Aye. I don’t do well on any vessel that’s not my own two feet.”

Lyn patted the horse gently on its side. “Well, fret not - I’ve been riding horses since I was an infant. I’ll see us to our destination safely.”

Hector looked out upon their surroundings. “Aren’t we there already?”

The plains of Sacae encompassed them, reaching from horizon to horizon in endless verdancy. The long grass rippled in the breeze, waving back and forth with each gale and gust. The midday sun shone down from a cloudless sky, casting the steppe in a warm glow. From east to west and north to south Hector could see nothing but a sea of green, dotted with herds of wild colts and trickling streams. It was a sight far richer than the dull gray castles he was acquainted with.

Lyn shook her head. “Not yet. Soon.”

Hector grumbled. “You’ve said the same thing for the past three days.”

“Be quiet, or I’ll rear the horse and send you tumbling off.”

He clammed up at that.

Despite the threatening tone of voice, Lyn couldn’t hide the pleasure at seeing her first home again. Hector was glad: he had suggested the trip for her sake, after all. He could tell she wasn’t very fond of the courtly life, with its formalities and rigidities and other procedures of proper decorum that were more gruelling than the toughest battle - after all, he felt the same. A small getaway would be good for the both of them.

They rode on a while longer, in comfortable silence. Hector felt the wind curl through his tunic, lightening the feel of fabric around his chest. He’d never known a place that exuded such vast serenity - the exact opposite of the stuffy audience halls that he labored in day after day. No wonder Lyn always reminisced so fondly.

Suddenly, she perked up. “Ah, we’re here!”

Hector peered over her shoulder. In the distance lay a single elm tree, bushy and squat against the flat land that enveloped it. Lyn gently slowed the horse to a stop before it and demounted, helping Hector off just as quickly.

“A… tree?” he asked, unable to hide his disbelief at the plainness of such a thing.

“Oh, hush,” Lyn replied, stepping up to feel the bark with her hand. “You don’t see these on the plains very often. It’s a distinctive landmark.”

“Hmm… if you say so.”

Lyn sighed as she sat down, laying her back against the tree. “You’re not very mindful of the finer things in life, are you?”

“I’ve never been one for art and the like, no,” said Hector, joining her. “Eliwood has a fine eye for it, but all I can make out are colors and shapes.”

“What would the nobles of Ostia say if they heard such remarks?” asked Lyn, smiling.

Hector smirked back. “That the barbarian wearing his brother’s clothes is at it again.”

They both laughed and reclined against the bark, staring out into the endlessness. It was unusual, being so alone… they had long grown accustomed to attendants beckoning to them day in and day out, shepherding them from task to task. But now, it was just the two of them, in the wilderness, unblemished by civilization.

The glimmer in Lyn’s eyes softened. “This place holds many memories for me.”

Hector’s eyes swiveled towards her. “The tree, you mean?”

She nodded. “This was one of the Lorca’s favorite places to hunt. We would set up our gers all around the tree and set off after the herds - horses, bison, ox, whatever was roaming about. We would hunt until the sun set, and then feast… father, mother, and the entire village.”

Hector listened quietly.

Lyn curled up her knees, stroking the tree trunk tenderly. “I… I’d hoped that I could have shown my grandfather this place. Told him about our life here. About my mother’s Sacaean family. There were… so many things I wished to say.”

Hector reached over towards her hand, hesitating to grab it. “Do you need to, er, let it out?”

Lyn shook her head. “I shed all my tears long ago.” To his surprise, a warm smile cracked upon her face. “In fact, coming here… makes me happier than words can say.”

Hector gazed at her. The wind catching in her emerald hair. The simmer of her mauve garb (traditionally Sacaean - she called it a “deel”) against the aquamarine background. Her lean frame, bearing both graceful refinement and stubborn pride. She looked natural and at peace - like a long-roaming creature finally home.

“...Lyndis,” he began. “Do you ever think of returning here?”

“What do you mean?” she replied. “Isn’t that what we’re here for?”

“No, I mean…” He struggled to find the nuance. “Permanently.”

Her face lowered. “...Ah.”

Hector fumbled through his words. “Er, this was your home, wasn’t it? Caelin is no longer your responsibility. If… If you would like to live here, then-”

“Hector.”

The interruption was gentle. She always knew how to get him to stop - after all, being brash about it would just inflame his stubborn side. He watched her expression, which shifted into contented contemplation.

“You’re right. Sacae is my home.” She closed her eyes. “The wind, the grass, the stars… I knew love of them before anything else. Not a day goes by that I do not miss them.”

“Then-”

“My mother loved her home, too,” Lyn continued. “My grandfather, the castle, the people of Caelin - she adored them dearly. Even when she spared the details, I could feel how deeply she cherished her life before the plains. But still, she left. Do you know why?”

Hector’s silence was answer enough.

Lyn rested her head on her knees, her brightened face meeting his eyes. “She found a greater love.”

Hector was not a romantic man - that was Eliwood’s purview, not his. But in that moment, he felt his heart dance around his ribcage.

“If it’s between people and places, I prefer people,” said Lyn. “After all, it’s the people you know who make a place special. If it’s between clinging to memories of what’s passed, or cherishing those before me…” She squeezed his hand tightly. “Then the answer is clear, isn’t it?”

“Lyndis…”

She smirked. “Of course, if  _ you  _ wished to live on the plains, then that might be another matter.”

Hector boomed with laughter. “This place? Without a sword or scoundrel in sight? I would die of tranquility. Not to mention my brother would roll in his grave at the thought.”

Lyn giggled back. “Is that so?”

“Yes, it’s completely unsuitable for a lout like me.” He paused. “Although…”

He looked into her eyes, a deeper jade than any he had ever seen.

“You fit the place beautifully.”

Lyn’s calm smile was replaced by a volatile flush. “H-Hector…”

He felt his own face grow heated. When had he become such a cad? He could picture Eliwood laughing at his words, as if the Pheraean hadn’t uttered romanticisms twice as melodramatic.

Lyn opened her mouth to speak further, but no sound came out. Hector remained similarly fraught, clearing his throat with great suspense several times in succession. They shuffled around awkwardly by the tree, unsure of what to say next. Blast it - why did he never know what to do in situations like these?

“Um… p-perhaps we should be going?” asked Lyn, still red. “The return to Lycia will take some time, after all.”

Hector considered the idea for only a second, trying to well up some boldness. “N-Not yet. I’m not satisfied.”

“...You’re not?”

Hector forced his head skyward. “You... still haven’t shown me the stars.”

Lyn laughed, nestling her head on his shoulders. “The stars? I’ve never known you cared for astronomy.”

“I’m… I’m simply trying to fill the air, that’s all. It would be a nice sight, wouldn’t it?”

“Oh, more gorgeous than you can imagine. But I know you. You’ll get bored within five minutes.”

“And how can you be certain?”

“You were the one who admitted he didn’t know a thing of art or beauty.”

“W-Well…”

“Unless you suddenly have an interest in the poems bards write of constellations?”

He groaned. “Agh, I can’t handle this fanciful kind of prattle. How about a spar instead?”

Lyn sighed with relief. “I was waiting for you to ask.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it really a HecLyn fic if they don't spar at some point?  
Okay but seriously I can't believe it's taken me this long to write content for them because this _might_ be my favorite ship ever and yes I would die for them gaaaaaaaaaahhh

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
Follow me on Twitter: @DivineNoodles


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